2014 is already off to a diva-fied, glittery start. Right around the stroke of midnight, pop music megastars Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera released a new studio version of "Do What U Want."
The track was originally announced just yesterday (Dec. 31) but it only took one day of teasing to get fans hyped for the collaboration. Instead of toasting the new year with champagne, Gaga took to her official Twitter account to post a link to the new version of "Do What U Want," describing it as something full of "pink champagne, gold lame, hair, and fearlessness."
The resulting track does ooze of female empowerment and, well, sparkling, fruity drinks. Using the exact same musical backing at the original, R. Kelly ARTPOP version, the Gaga/Aguilera version of "Do What U Want" keeps the same first verse and chorus, but Aguilera totally switches up the lyrics and vibes for the second verse.
While R. Kelly kept things very sexual for his verse, Aguilera went for some encouraging words. "I won't feel the pain 'cause I'm a pearl," she blasts at one point.
The second chorus and the rest of the song finds Gaga and Aguilera trading off vocal duties, battling each other for dominance (and in the end, they really both win).
Is this track an improvement on the original R. Kelly version? Yes and no. While it does boast a little more power than the ARTPOP version, it lacks a bit of fun. And R. Kelly is truly inspired on "Do What U Want," and while Aguilera can sing circles around anybody, she lacks the raw sexuality that Kelly has.
Listen to the new version of "Do What U Want" by Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera below:
Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera initially performed "Do What U Want" on the season finale of The Voice to rave reviews.
